An all-star panel of higher education leaders in Texas gathered
Sept. 24-25 in Austin to tackle a topic titled “Can Public Universities Make
the Grade?” The panel discussion, part of the inaugural Texas Tribune Festival,
included University of Houston System Chancellor and UH president Renu Khator.

Throughout the weekend, more than 1,300 attendees interacted
with 100 Texas thought leaders on panels in four broad areas: public and higher
education, energy and the environment, race and immigration, and health and
human services.

In response to a question from Texas Tribune reporter Reeve
Hamilton, who moderated the public and higher education panel, Khator said, “Public
universities should get a high grade. This is a state that has a comprehensive
document, ‘Closing the Gaps’ for higher education, and approved Tier One
legislation to invest in the global competitiveness of its students.”

“Closing the Gaps by 2015” was adopted by the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board in 2000, with goals in student participation,
student success, excellence and research. Tier
One legislation supports more public research universities and their goals for
academic excellence.

Khator was joined on stage by R. Bowen Loftin, president of
Texas A&M University; Richard M. Rhodes, incoming president of Austin
Community College; and Diana Natalicio, president of the University of Texas at
El Paso. Each brought a different
perspective to the discussion.

Natalicio noted her university educates a disproportionate
number of students who will determine whether Texas will be competitive.

“Access and quality are equally important in higher education,”
she said. “Competitiveness is crucial,
and to create that, you need resources that come from being a Tier One
university.”

Loftin agreed that the state needs quality universities, but
not at the expense of those that are already of high quality. “The Legislature
rewarded improvement, which is hard when you’re already good,” he said. “The argument is that they penalized what
they had in order to get Tier One.”

Khator countered that taking money from other Tier One universities
is not something that would be supported by her or other university
leaders.

“Texas universities are together in that,” she said. “We want to prevent good students from
leaving Texas to study in other states.”

Khator added that national competitiveness means more than
academic success: It means athletic
success.

UH has experienced transformational success under Khator’s
leadership, with the ongoing momentum culminating in unprecedented recognition
and achievement for the university within the past year.

Milestones include classification as a Tier One public
research university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,
inclusion among America’s Best Colleges for undergraduate education by The
Princeton Review and a ranking in the top tier in the latest evaluation report
from Top American Research Universities.

The Texas Tribune Festival also featured discussions with T.
Boone Pickens, chairman of BP Capital Management; Raymond Dubois Jr., provost
and executive vice president of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center; Margaret
Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education; and Neera Tanden, President
Barack Obama’s former senior adviser on health reform.